About Richard Fries

RICHARD FRIES is well-known throughout the New York and national legal, real estate and finance
communities. According to Chambers USA, “true master negotiator” Richard Fries is a “superstar” who is
regarded as “one of the premier real estate litigators in the City.” Chambers notes that he is “extremely
well respected for his collaborative approach and expertise in complex workout and restructuring
matters.”
As a member of the Real Estate team, Richard focuses his practice on a wide array of complex real estate
financing transactions, in which he represents national and global institutional lenders, investment banks
and private equity firms. Richard has been involved in the financing, foreclosure and restructuring of
permanent, construction, acquisition and mezzanine loans of all types, including agented and syndicated
facilities, secured by office buildings, land development projects, healthcare complexes, hotels, mixed-use
projects, apartment buildings, shopping centers, franchise operations and automobile dealerships, among
other real estate and business assets.
Richard is particularly distinguished for his work in high-profile distressed commercial loan workouts
and restructurings, mortgage foreclosure, distressed portfolio and asset sales, creditors’ rights and
insolvency. He has developed a unique market-leading practice using litigation tools to restructure real
estate loans, projects and businesses. His experience and reputation in loan workouts has been
acknowledged by Chambers as “legendary.” He also has extensive experience representing private equity
investors, property owners and developers in real estate joint ventures, commercial real estate litigation,
construction, hospitality and partnership disputes, asset disposition, loan portfolio sales and project
development.
Richard also represents national lending institutions in the purchase and sale of performing and
underperforming loan portfolios, real estate assets and participation interests in loans, and the
implementation of national standard loan and workout programs and documentation for real estate,
commercial and private banking loan products.